1550-1715Ayushi, Rhiannon, Sadie “Riches don’t make a man rich, they only make him busier.” Christopher Columbus
Palace of Versailles
Important Terms
Militant-This term means combative or focused on military power. In this context, militant was used to describe the tension between Calvinism and Catholicism. These two religious groups were unofficially at war, so they had to be militarily ready.
Huguenots- The Huguenots were the Protestant/Calvanists in France. They were influenced by John Calvin's ideas of predestination and were often at odds with the Catholics.
Edict of Nantes- The edict issued by Henry of Navarre that changed the official religion of France to Catholicism. He did this to try to end the fighting between the Huguenots and the Catholics.
Armada- This term means a fleet of warships for invasion purposes. An armada was prepared by Philip II to invade England. He did this because he believed Elizabeth was an illegitimate queen.
Act of Supremacy- This was an edict declaring Elizabeth to be the only supreme governor of England.
Salvo- This was a new war technique. With it, all the lines of gunmen would fire at the same time instead of row by row. This increased the number of enemies hit.
Cavaliers- The Cavailers were the people who supported the king in the English Civil War. They were also known as Royalists and could have been in the king's cavalry. Another nickname was Tories.
Roundheads- The Roundheads were the supporters of Parliament against the king in the English Civil War. They had this nickname because of their generally short hair. This group would've been in the New Age Army. Another nickname was Whigs.
Rump Parliament- This was the small parliament left after purged by Oliver Cromwell. To get this group, he got rid of all the people who didn't support him and his ideas.
Absolutism- This was when a leader held absolute, total power. An example of a leader like this is Louis XIV. Absolutist government types are monarchies and dictatorships.
Important People
Queen Isabella- Queen Isabella was the woman who financed Columbus' journey to America. She also started the Spanish Inquisition, which expelled the Muslims and Jews from Spain.
Christopher Columbus- Christopher Columbus was the explorer who accidentally discovered America. He was financed by Queen Isabella and sailed for what he thought was India, so he named the people he found the Indians.
King Charles I- This was the king who was tried to get rid of Parliament, but instead was defeated, tried for treason, and beheaded. After his death, England turned into a so-called Republic.
Queen Elizabeth I- Queen Elizabeth the First was the first supreme governor of England. She repelled the Spanish Armada when they attacked and survived an assassination attempt by her half-sister.
King Louis XIV- He was ruler with absolute power. He was known as the Sun King and his motto was "I am the State," indicating that he didn't follow the laws, he made them. He built the Palace of Versailles.
Oliver Cromwell- This was the member of Parliament that took over ruling after King Charles I was dethroned and beheaded. Eventually, Cromwell disbanded most of Parliament just like Charles I and ruled England like a dictatorship.
Michael Romanov- This was the man that started the Romanov dynasty in Russia. He's one of the more well known Czars of Russia because his family became famous in a children's tale, Anastasia.
Cardinal Richelieu- When King Louis XIV was too young to take the throne, Cardinal Richelieu acted as king in his place. Under the Cardinal's direction, France became a world power.
Charles II- Charles the Second, known as "The Merry Monarch", was reinstated as monarch after Cromwell ruled. He had been exiled to France when Charles I was convicted of treason and beheaded.
James II- James the Second was the king that disproved the divine-right-of-kings belief. He was deposed and replaced by different monarchs, which showed that monarchs were not divine because of their heritage.
William of Orange
OverviewCalvinism and Catholicism had become really militant. Europe was on the brink of another war. The Huguenots strongly disliked the ultra-Catholics. For about 30 years, battles raged in France between them. Finally, Henry of Navarre, the political leader of the Huguenots and the member of the Bourbon dynasty that came to throne after Henry IV. He understood that Huguenots would never accept Catholicism so he converted to Catholicism. He was crowned king in 1594 and the fighting in France finally ended. He also issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598 that recognized Catholicism as the official religion in France. King Philip IIwas the king of Spain, the Netherlands, some of Italy and some of Americas. In the northern provinces of the Dutch, William the Silent was struggling to take the ultimate power. These provinces were the foundation of modern Dutch state and Netherlands. Elizabeth Tudor, or Elizabeth I, became the Queen of England in 1558. She had repealed all the laws favoring Catholics and the new Act of Supremacy named her as “the only supreme governor” of both church and state. Her Catholic half-sister, Mary Tudor, tried to assassinate the queen but was caught and hanged for the conspiracy against Elizabeth I. Philip II of Spain was enraged with the fact that England was a successful Protestant state. He ordered for the Spanish Armada, hoping that he could attack the Protestants and change them to Catholics. But unfortunately, the ships were wrecked in a wind storm that the Protestants still call today the “Protestant Wind”.
From 1560 to 1650, inflation was the main problem along with witchcraft. Not only did the prices increase, people started to believe in witchcraft, or the fact that woman and even some men were accused of the “allegiance to the devil”. By mid-1600’s, witchcraft hysteria began to lessen and the government started to come in power. Even after the Peace of Augsburg in 1555, religious disputes continued in Germany. Calvinism was not recognized by this peace settlement and it already had spread in many parts of Europe. The Thirty Years War had begun in Europe and the root cause of it all started in the Holy Roman Empire. Although most of the battles were fought on German soil, many European powers except England became involved. The war was ended by the Peace of Westphaliathat stated that all German states could choose their own religion to live by. While the Thirty Years War was going on, England was on the brink of their English Civil War. The king of Scotland, James I, believed that the kings receive their power through the divine right of kings. The Puritans wished to make the church more Protestant than it already was. This was when Charles Igot enraged and tried to change the Church’s policies. Complaints grew and the English Civil War finally started in 1642 between the Cavaliersand Roundheads. Finally, the Parliament won, under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell, and beheaded Charles I. Cromwell ruled until his death in 1658. Parliament restored the monarchy to Charles II, the son of Charles I. He was sympathetic to Catholicism and his brother and the heir to the throne, James II, did not like the fact that he was Catholic. When James II eventually became king in 1685, he passed several policies that made the parliament mad. They didn’t do anything about it because James II didn’t have a male heir to the throne. But ultimately, James II and his second wife had a son and the possibility of a Catholic monarchy scared the parliament. A group of English nobles invited the Dutch leader, William of Orange, husband of James’ daughter Mary, to invade England. They had undergone a “Glorious Revolution”. Not only did William and Mary accept the throne to England, but also the Bill of Rights. By deposing the one king and establishing another, the parliament had destroyed the divine-right theory of kingship. After the Thirty Years War, Louis XIVhad been regarded as the best example of absolutionin Europe and in the 17th century. First Cardinal Richelieu, Louis XIII’s chief minister, came into power. After about 50 years, Louis XIV came into power and built the Palace of Versailles. When he died, Prussia emerge under the rule of Fredrick William the Great. Russia also got expanded by Ivan I. Michael Romanovwas the first of the Romanov dynasty to rule Russia. Peter the Greatand Catherine the Greatimproved Russia by borrowing their technology.
Phillip the II
Elizabeth I
For More Information
If you want to learn more about Christopher Columbus, this site has a lot of information about Columbus' birth, early career, original journey to America, return visits, and overall impact on history.
If you want to learn more about The Holy Roman Empire, this site has information about the leaders, political divisions, religious divisions and conflicts, and various tensions between the parts of the empire.
If you want to learn more about The Spanish Inquisition, this site has information about the reasons for the Inquisition, the victims of the Inquisition, and the procedures taken during the Inquisition.
If you want to learn more about The Thirty Years' War, this site has information about the events leading up to, various phases of, and the parts of the eventual treaty.
If you want to learn more about The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, this site contains information about the preparations for the Spanish Armada, the preparations for England's defense, the attack, and the subsequent defeat of the Spaniards.
If you want to learn more about King Charles the First, this site contains information about his succession to the throne, his dismissal of Parliament, his use of the Star Chamber, and his eventual conviction of treason and beheading.
If you want to learn more about Elizabeth Tudor or Elizabeth I, this site contains information about her tumultuous childhood, various competition for the throne, the death of her half-sister, and her ascent to the throne.
If you want to learn more about The English Civil War, this site contains information about the tension leading up to the war, the reasons for the war, the factions participating, and the resolution of the conflict.
If you want to learn more about the ruling family of Russia, The Romanovs, this site contains information about each of the various Romanovs and their impacts on European history.
If you want to learn more about the history of Germany, this site contains information information on Germany from the original Germanic tribes up until modern Germany, including Germany's involvement in the Holy Roman Empire.
“Riches don’t make a man rich, they only make him busier.”
Christopher Columbus
Important Terms
Important People
OverviewCalvinism and Catholicism had become really militant. Europe was on the brink of another war. The Huguenots strongly disliked the ultra-Catholics. For about 30 years, battles raged in France between them. Finally, Henry of Navarre, the political leader of the Huguenots and the member of the Bourbon dynasty that came to throne after Henry IV. He understood that Huguenots would never accept Catholicism so he converted to Catholicism. He was crowned king in 1594 and the fighting in France finally ended. He also issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598 that recognized Catholicism as the official religion in France. King Philip II was the king of Spain, the Netherlands, some of Italy and some of Americas. In the northern provinces of the Dutch, William the Silent was struggling to take the ultimate power. These provinces were the foundation of modern Dutch state and Netherlands. Elizabeth Tudor, or Elizabeth I, became the Queen of England in 1558. She had repealed all the laws favoring Catholics and the new Act of Supremacy named her as “the only supreme governor” of both church and state. Her Catholic half-sister, Mary Tudor, tried to assassinate the queen but was caught and hanged for the conspiracy against Elizabeth I. Philip II of Spain was enraged with the fact that England was a successful Protestant state. He ordered for the Spanish Armada, hoping that he could attack the Protestants and change them to Catholics. But unfortunately, the ships were wrecked in a wind storm that the Protestants still call today the “Protestant Wind”.
From 1560 to 1650, inflation was the main problem along with witchcraft. Not only did the prices increase, people started to believe in witchcraft, or the fact that woman and even some men were accused of the “allegiance to the devil”. By mid-1600’s, witchcraft hysteria began to lessen and the government started to come in power. Even after the Peace of Augsburg in 1555, religious disputes continued in Germany. Calvinism was not recognized by this peace settlement and it already had spread in many parts of Europe. The Thirty Years War had begun in Europe and the root cause of it all started in the Holy Roman Empire. Although most of the battles were fought on German soil, many European powers except England became involved. The war was ended by the Peace of Westphalia that stated that all German states could choose their own religion to live by. While the Thirty Years War was going on, England was on the brink of their English Civil War. The king of Scotland, James I, believed that the kings receive their power through the divine right of kings. The Puritans wished to make the church more Protestant than it already was. This was when Charles I got enraged and tried to change the Church’s policies. Complaints grew and the English Civil War finally started in 1642 between the Cavaliers and Roundheads. Finally, the Parliament won, under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell, and beheaded Charles I. Cromwell ruled until his death in 1658.
Parliament restored the monarchy to Charles II, the son of Charles I. He was sympathetic to Catholicism and his brother and the heir to the throne, James II, did not like the fact that he was Catholic. When James II eventually became king in 1685, he passed several policies that made the parliament mad. They didn’t do anything about it because James II didn’t have a male heir to the throne. But ultimately, James II and his second wife had a son and the possibility of a Catholic monarchy scared the parliament. A group of English nobles invited the Dutch leader, William of Orange, husband of James’ daughter Mary, to invade England. They had undergone a “Glorious Revolution”. Not only did William and Mary accept the throne to England, but also the Bill of Rights. By deposing the one king and establishing another, the parliament had destroyed the divine-right theory of kingship. After the Thirty Years War, Louis XIV had been regarded as the best example of absolution in Europe and in the 17th century. First Cardinal Richelieu, Louis XIII’s chief minister, came into power. After about 50 years, Louis XIV came into power and built the Palace of Versailles. When he died, Prussia emerge under the rule of Fredrick William the Great. Russia also got expanded by Ivan I. Michael Romanov was the first of the Romanov dynasty to rule Russia. Peter the Great and Catherine the Great improved Russia by borrowing their technology.
For More Information